In aircraft various display devices are provided for displaying images and information. Some of these devices also include an input for inputting information to the device. In addition to flat panel screen devices provided as parts of the inflight entertainment system for displaying movies and information to passengers, examples of such devices include flight attendant panels, which may comprise a touch screen as an input and which are mounted in the aircraft cabin such that they are accessible to the flight attendants. The flight attendants panels are adapted for displaying status information to the flight attendants and for allowing the flight attendants to enter control commands for controlling various on-board equipment, such as the flight entertainment system, the air conditioning system, the lighting system and the audio system.
Due to aircraft safety regulations it is important that such display devices are securely mounted in the aircraft. In particular for flight attendant panels, which fulfill functions relevant to the safety of the operation of the aircraft, it is further important that the risk of unauthorized manipulation, e.g. by passengers, is reduced as much as possible. These requirements necessitate, amongst others, that the display devices are mounted to a wall portion of the aircraft over their entire backside facing the wall portion such that the backside provides at its edge an annularly closed circumferential contact region abutting the wall portion.
When constructing and mounting display devices for aircraft it is important to take into consideration the cabling necessary for coupling electricity and data signals to and from the devices and the space available in the aircraft. For example, flight attendant panels are typically mounted to monument or lavatory walls in door areas of the aircraft in the immediate vicinity of the cabin attendant seats in which the cabin attendants are seated during take-off and landing. The cabling is provided by cables having connectors connected to corresponding mating terminals which are typically arranged at the laterals sides of the flight attendant panel housing. Arranging the terminals at the upper side of the flight attendant panel housing is not allowable because of limited protection against entry of liquids into the connectors, and arranging the terminals at the bottom side of the flight attendant panel housing is disadvantageous because the cabling would then occupy space required for the cabin attendant seats and other cabin equipment. The cables are guided away from the flight attendant panel and are secured to the wall portion by suitable fixing structure which, due to safety requirements, have to be constructed such that the cables are extending spaced from the surface of the wall portion. In order to impede manipulation, a cover is provided for covering the cabling.
Due to the severely limited space inside the aircraft cabin the space requirements of the devices, including the necessary cabling, must be kept as low as possible.